Hints at Blue Mage in the level 60 ALC quest?

[Cilia]

As I pointed out though, "versatility" hasn't always been a flavor of blue mages. Strago, for example, was very much a caster type, and could be used as a basis for BLU in XIV.

That's one game, though. Even if not explicitly named as such, BLU has been in a lot more than V, VI, and XI; VII's E. Skill materia works exactly like Blue Magic, Quistis' Desperation Moves in VIII are essentially Blue Magic, Quina in IX is a Blue Mage, and Kimahri's Overdrives in X are Blue Magic in all but name. And those are just the ones I know of. In all of those cases, Blue Magic is incredibly diverse, from powerful healing spells like White Wind to the famous Big Guard to the nuking Shockwave Pulsar. (And even Strago learns White Wind, Big Guard, and other healing / support spells, so he's not just a nuke caster DPS. Additionally, most BLU do learn more offensive magic, but that's just because it's easier to make diverse offensive options than diverse healing or support options.)

Could they add BLU? Sure they could. But could they compromise its traditional versatility with the strict combat roles in XIV and still keep its flavor intact while also making it a combat-viable class people will want to play?

... maybe. They did change DRK from "HP sacrificing melee DPS" to "MP sacrificing masochist tank," so it's not impossible but it (probably) wouldn't be the classical-style "learns versatile monster moves" BLU.

[Fenral]

... maybe. They did change DRK from "HP sacrificing melee DPS" to "MP sacrificing masochist tank," so it's not impossible but it (probably) wouldn't be the classical-style "learns versatile monster moves" BLU.

Summoners used to be pretty versatile, too (looking at you, Eiko Carol). They could simply have Blue Mage watered down into a DPS-focused Extra Job with quests focused on tracking down monsters to learn skills from. The initial skill loadout would be hand-waved as something already recorded by the previous owner of the Soul Crystal.

But yes, your current favorite .gif applies to this entire topic pretty well.